One of the important ideas that we discuss on this website is the concept of Vision, or what I call communicating dreams into reality.
This past Friday I had a great conversation with Timothy Watts, one of my colleagues and Director for International Admissions at Dallas Baptist University. Tim and I were discussing our new international marketing plan, specifically some of the communication challenges (or) opportunities we could encounter with the launch of this new initiative. During our discussion, we realized that an important component for success in this program would be the group’s cohesiveness to the goals of the marketing plan. We needed to be sure that everyone knew, and clearly understood, including why and how we were moving forward with this program. We realized it was all about our team buying into the Vision!
In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell writes, “Nearly anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course… they see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. They have a vision for their destination…”
For leaders, I consider this one of the most important and critical areas that we need to get right. I have found that exceptional leaders have the ability to clearly communicate, in a contagious way, the goals and direction for an organization. In other words, they know how to “steer the ship”. Furthermore, they know how to do it in a way that is exciting, so much in fact that their ship is packed with passengers wanting to come along for the ride. I believe that this can be accomplished through communicating the leaders’s vision, or sharing their dream!
When you are establishing and communicating your vision, I think it is important to consider a few things:
1) Find your Dream – This one may be a bit obvious, but it starts with finding your dream. Ideally, a dream rooted with your timeless purpose that you are compelled to see completed. As a suggestion, start with the end in mind, and then work backwards.Ask yourself, what is important to you or your organization? What will actually bring valuable benefits to those that you have influence or responsibility for? Think about what you would like to see happen, and then work backwards, step by step to see what it will take to get in done.
2) Elicit Advice – Once you have your dream, it will be important to test it by electing the advice from others. Feedback is important. This means sharing the idea with your trusted colleagues and advisers. This will help you to vet your thoughts and establish whether your vision is indeed timeless and adds value for your purposes. Coincidentally, this will also help determine if your vision is indeed “contagious” by testing it on your trusted colleagues. Remember, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” ~ Proverbs 15:22
3) Share it – Here’s the fun part, starting sharing your vision! In fact, don’t stop talking about it. I have found this to be one of the “arts” of exceptional leadership. Specifically, exceptional leaders can enable followers to action by sharing their vision in an emotionally expressive manner — IE: leveraging their emotional intelligence to get people excited about being apart of the vision. Great leaders can draw you in through their use of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skill; connecting you together with the vision.
4) Reflect on it – Take time to step back occasionally to see how your dreams are coming into reality. Repeat #2, and elicit more feedback and thoughts from others. In the end, you’ll want to be sure the plans you have set in place are actually being accomplished and provide value to your purposes. As discussed, a vision is worthless if it does not have a timeless purpose that brings lasting value and benefit to others. You will most likely want a benchmark (or metric) to measure value; such as more sales, higher morale, greater client satisfaction, etc.
Leadership is such a privilege. The opportunity to share your dreams with others through a vision is an important responsibility. Do not loose your head in this. You have the privilege to take others, your organization, and it’s project where you believe God wants to go!
About a week ago I was attending a conference on international education in San Diego, California. Universities and educators from all over the world, all together more than 10,000 people, came together to talk about the development and internationalization of higher education. During one of the sessions I was able to listen to the thoughts of Jeffery Selingo, author of the book College Unbound, where he spoke about the future of higher education and what it means for students and internationalization.
There were many interesting points that Selingo made, but one particular point stood out to me that I was compelled to share with you here. Do you know what the top job skills are that employers want out of graduates from college?
Over the years, both as a student and also as a higher education administrator, I have heard many people ask this question; “What do I need to learn in order to get a good job?”. It comes in many forms, but in the end it always has to do with the student’s (and their parents for that matter) desire to land a job after they graduate.
Well, without further a due and based on plenty of research, here are to the top job skills that employers are currently saying they want from the graduates coming out of college:
Top Job Skills Needed
1) Written & Oral Communication – Communication is central to the world of work, when communication is poor or inadequate, the quality of that work – be it a product or service – will suffer as a result. This skills involves being able to demonstrate the ability to write concisely and with clarity to convey information and ideas in a logical and clear manner. In addition, you must have the ability to converse in a confident and effective manner with others from a wide range of backgrounds, emotions and prospective.
2) Managing Multiple Priorities (Time Management) – This skill involves the ability to “juggle” the urgent and the important within a world that is constantly moving. Managing busy workloads with heavy deadlines and lots of pressure is though, but it is an important requirement for being effective in the workplace.
3) Collaborating with Others (Ability to work in Teams) – This skill requires a great deal of interpersonal ability and emotional intelligence. You must have the experience and ability to work well with a diverse group of people, each with differing opinions/beliefs, and can successfully find commonality to work effectively in order to complete tasks on-time, within budget and based upon the desired deliverable.
4) Solving Problems (Conceptual Thinking) – This is the ability to understand a situation or problem by identifying patterns or connections, and addressing key underlying issues. You must understand the integration of issues and factors into a conceptual framework, experience, creativity, inductive reasoning, and intuitive processes that lead to solutions or alternatives that may not be obviously related or easily identified.
* Attention College Students – If you want a good job after you graduate, you had better be developing these skills and getting plenty of practice doing it! What is the hardest job skill for you to learn?
Before I traveled to India I did not know what the word Namaste meant. If you were like me, then the definition for this word may also escape you. Namaste is an Indian (Hindi) word which means to “welcome someone from your heart”. If someone greets you with Namaste in India, it will also include a slight downward head nod, and usually a gesture from their hands in the shape of a triangle, with palms pressed together and brought close to the chest. This is all a sign of respect, warmth and friendly hospitality “welcoming you from the heart.”
From my trip to India, I have warm feelings about the people and places I visited. Over the course of two-weeks I traveled to 8 different cities throughout India; including Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Agra, and Delhi. India will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
I share all of this with you, because five years ago I would never have pictured myself traveling the world, much less to India. The opportunity for traveling internationally has been one of the most important and transformational experiences I have had in my life. God has used these experiences to reveal a great deal to me about His purpose for my life, His love for this world, and a great deal more about people, perspective, places and culture.
I mentioned in a previous post about perspective, or looking at something from a different angle or point of view. For the young person, the college student, or really the lifelong learner, this is an important truth. We must constantly look with fresh eyes and perspective at life. International Travel is one of those perspective changing experiences!
A few years ago, one of my very good friends Josiah Hart (who coincidently is from Mumbai, India), shared with me the following excerpt from Henry Rollins:
“I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown, eat interesting food, dig some interesting people, have an adventure, be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your President differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people – Americans and Europeans – come back and go, “ohhhhh.” And the lightbulb goes on.”
So, if you have not traveled internationally (especially to a developing country), it’s time to make it happen. As a college student, this is even more important! You need to get overseas to serve, see what God has for you, and experience life on the other side of the world. You need to have your mind blown!
The Dharavi slum of Mumbai is one of the largest slums in the world, it is a multi-cultural and multi-religious home for more that 1 million residents whom live in an area that is no bigger that 1 square mile. Today, I had the opportunity to visit the Dharavi area where I spent a few hours walking through the streets to learn about life in the slum.
From my time, I learned a valuable lesson on perspective which I would like to share. Perspective is a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something. Also known as a “point of view”.
First, we may consider the definition of a slum in “negative” term, to the Indian this is not necessarily the case. To the residents of Dharavi, the slum is “home“. During my visit I walked through countless isles of houses, businesses, markets and schools. The Dharavi has a bustling economy which supports the many families and people groups there. I met many wonderfully amazing people in the Dharavi slum, each who desire to live a good and honest life. I was struck by the friendliness and hospitable demeanor of the people living in the Dharavi slum.
Second, I have learned that while we may define things in different ways, such as what is “home”, it is important to always keep an open mind. The Dharavi slum was not by my definition a “home”. I learned that not only do we need to be able to empathize with others, but we need to keep an open mind to listen and often times learn valuable information that our perspective may be lacking. Before visiting the Dharavi today, I may have assumed that everyone living there was either a criminal or in destitute (there is indeed both present here). However, today I learned there are really good people living life the best way they know how in the Dharavi slum.
Remember — There are things we know, and things we don’t know. There are also things we don’t know that we don’t know, and also things that we think we know, that just aren’t true. Keep an open mind, keep asking questions, suspend immediate judgment, and keep changing the way you look at situations. Keep a fresh perspective.
Over this past month I have had the opportunity to visit the countries of China and India to talk about education. Specifically, higher education. In fact, I am actually writing this blog while I am flying from Hyderabad to Mumbai, India.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I believe that we each have a purpose in this life. Purpose is a deep rooted belief that what you are doing has meaning and value not only for yourself but also for those around you. Purpose can be associated with finding meaning in your vocation, within your family, your church, or through the personal activities you participate in. Purpose is timeless.
Over the last 3-years, I have traveled to over twelve countries in the developing world. During my travels, I have learned that we all long for purpose and meaning in this world. This is where I believe education has its role. I believe that the university is a mechanism that God uses to unlock purpose for the individual.
Education is valuable everywhere. In China, families save their entire lives to send their one and only child to study at a university in the United States. In Indonesia, church pastors desire for their entire congregations to know how their children can prepare for university study. In Colombia, students travel to an entirely different continent, culture, and city in order to learn English so that they have a hope to provide a better life for their families. There is not one country that I have traveled to which is not longing for education, and ultimately purpose and meaning in their lives.
Within education, the university is such an excellent place for students begin the self-discovery journey in front of God to find their purpose. The university is a melting pot of sorts. It is the place where you take students and create an intentional environment of learning. Here students interact with information and theory, as well as develop socially, emotional and spiritually, through experience. The hopeful result is to see a transformation in their lives, a “lightbulb experience”, where through these experiences students discover how their skills & abilities, personality & behavior, passions & desires come together and can be used to transition them into a life of purpose and meaning.
The result of higher education should be a person who can independently think and choose for themselves, can tell the difference between a groundless idea or one based on logic, and can positively use their energies in a way to impact their world and their communities.
The sociological, economical and humanitarian benefits to education are many. Right now, 95%+ of this world does not have a college education. This is an unlimited market for transformation to occur. This is an almost never ending supply of people who could be guided to find their purpose and understand how they a have reason for living! I believe God has a plan to use education as this mechanism to point people to Him and help them to unlock their purpose.
I am excited for the potential that education has for this world! I am excited to see how education can change the world!
Over the past month I have been involved in a study to examine the leadership styles for a variety of senior-level administrators at different higher education universities around the United States. The goal of our research group was determine if there are particular types, or styles of leadership that are most prevalent at the American higher education institution.
The results of our findings (from the group of senior-leaders we interviewed) indicate that all leaders display characteristics from a particular approach to leadership, described as Transformational Leadership.
So, what is Transformational Leadership?
Transformational Leadership is a approach to leadership that ehances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms. These include connecting the follower’s sense of identity and self to the project and the collective identity of the organization; being a role model for followers that inspires them and makes them interested; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers with tasks that enhance their performance (Bass & Avolio, 1994).
Transformational Leadership can be additionally described by the following four elements:
1) Idealized Leadership
- Being role models; modeling the way
- Considers the needs of others over his/her own need
- Is consistent and shares risks with follower
- Does the right things and demonstrates high standards of conduct
- Avoids using power for personal gain
2) Inspirational Motivation
- Provide meaning and challenge to follower’s work.
- Display enthusiasm and optimism.
- Involves followers in envisioning desired future states.
- Arouses a team spirit.
- Clearly communicate expectations and goals.
- Inspires a shared vision.
3) Intellectual Stimulation
- Employees participate in decision making and are encouraged to be innovative and creative by questioning assumptions, re-framing problems and trying new approaches to existing problems
- Does not publicly criticize for mistakes.
- Does not criticize an employee’s opinions if different from the leaders, rather rewards “out of the box” thinking.
4) Individualized Consideration
- Pays attention to their employees’ needs for achievement and growth through coaching and mentoring.
- New learning opportunities are created in a supportive climate.
- Individual differences are recognized and accepted.
- Communication effectively and practices “management by wandering around”
- Sees the individual as a whole person, not an employee.
- Delegates tasks to assist in developing others.
- Monitors to provide support and direction, not to check up on people.
Another great model describing some practical examples of Transformational Leadership can be found from the authors Kouzes & Posner: The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model
This research study got me to thinking, is this coincidence, or did these administrators, from all different parts of the country mind you, stumble upon a leadership style that is truly most effective? Moreover, do leaders that embody these characteristics seem to make the greatest contribution to their organizations and onto others? Is this is why they have risen to the ranks of senior-leadership at these institutions?
My conclusions have lead me to the belief that this is not coincidence. I believe these leaders all identify with this particular approach to leadership because it is most effective. Additionally, each of the leaders we studied all have a “timeless purpose” they are committed to. This purpose helps to define their meaning, a meaning in which they believe that they are creating a “life changing” impact on the people, communities and world around them. I believe this is why Transformational Leadership seems to resonate the strongest from these leaders.
So, the last question, are you a Transformational Leader?
This past week I traveled to Sydney, Australia to visit Hillsong Church and Hillsong International Leadership College. For those of you who are not familiar with Hillsong Church, they are a mega-church with 12 campuses throughout Australia and 13 international church locations throughout the world, with over 30,000 people attending service each week.
Out of Hillsong Church we have seen Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, and most recently Hillsong Young & Free emerge as some of the most influential Christian worship bands today. If you would like to see more, take a moment to watch the video “Awake” from Hillsong Young & Free here (or click on the image below):
Each year all Hillsong Church locations come together for Vision Sunday, which is a special time over three days to share the “vision” of what God is doing with Hillsong Church. The theme of this year’s vision Sunday was “Pioneer Again”. Hillsong Church continues to be committed to changing, moving forward, and keeping the pioneering spirit alive. They shared future plans for growing the church and are continuing to develop other global campuses. It truly is amazing to see what God is doing at Hillsong Church!
From my trip, I have been overwhelmed and greatly encouraged and wanted to share a few observations from my trip that have application for leadership:
1) Relationships Matter – As you walk in the front door of each Hillsong location, you will notice the words “Welcome Home” over the entry way.
Hillsong calls themselves a “large church” with a “small community”, emphasizing relationships and family. Over and over again I heard that relationships matter at Hillsong Church. Well, they live this in each and every part of their Church and College. Walking into the various church and college locations at Hillsong, I felt a real sense of community and closeness.
As an organizational leader, I see the powerful importance for establishing and building an environment where relationships flourish and people feel welcome, comfortable and encouraged.
On a side note, one of the things I’ve learned about the Australia is that “sarcasm” is really seen as a “love language” here. If someone gives you a “hard time” in public it really communicates that they like you and have a friendship with you.
2) Culture is Critical – Hillsong is not something you are taught, it’s something that is caught.
There is a strong sense of culture and identity at Hillsong. Just as relationships are important, having an empowering culture for a church, company, or organization is critical. Throughout the week I noticed how people “fall in love” with what is happening at Hillsong Church. There is a connection of culture to timeless value and vision which makes this place attractive, exciting and transformational for those who are there.
3) Visionary Leadership – Senior Pastor Brian Houston communicates vision constantly to Hillsong Church and the Leadership College.
Having heard Senior Pastor Brian Houston multiple times this past week I noticed a few important trends. First, Jesus Christ is proclaimed and given glory in each and every sermon or speech he gives. Second, Pastor Brian speaks with powerful vision. Those that work closely alongside him describe Pastor Brian as a “visionary leader”.
Visionary leaders are uncommon, but they share many characteristics. The qualities of visionary leaders include openness, imagination, persistence, and conviction.
I was told once that “Vision” is putting dreams into action. Vision enables followers to feel and see where they are going and actually visualize themselves as being there. Vision is a powerful motivator and enables people to grow, achieve and transform into great things!
4) A Sense of Destiny and Purpose – What God has put in you is far too important to keep it inside and not use it.
I heard comments like this throughout this entire last week at Hillsong Church. As I continually study leadership and observe organizations where great things are happening, I keep seeing this idea of “purpose” and “meaning”. I do not believe this is coincidence, but rather it is a building block for God to build upon and use in us to do extraordinary things.
God has given us each a purpose in this life. We each have meaning and value while we are here on earth. As a student, working professional, family member, or friend, we each have so much talent, so many skills and unique abilities. Use them for a life of purpose and impact on others. Realize that God has a hope and a future for each of us!
As a leader, you are only as influential and effective as the team that you have around you. Deciding who gets into your department, as well as what they do, and how far they go, is completely up to the leader. For the leader, hiring is the most important thing you will do!
This past weekend I spent 19 hours in the car driving from Dallas, Texas onto Pittsburgh, PA. During this time, I had a lot of time to think and reflect on this past week. One specific experience that came to mind was a great interview I had with a young DBU student named Bree. We were considering Bree for a part-time student worker position in our International Office.
Bree was well-spoken, warm-hearted, and energetic. Bree’s happy attitude and positive character was contagious. I left the interview feeling encouraged to finish the rest of my day. I remember thinking; this is the type of person I want to have on our international team.
As I drove through Memphis, Tennessee I remember thinking about how important it is for a leader to create a good team around them. I remember the words of Dr. Stephen Mansfield, President and CEO of Methodist Health System in Dallas, who said that as a leader, “You are the Keeper of the Culture”.
When you hire great people, and they get into the right place, wonderful things can happen. In contrast, when you do not hire great people, and you don’t get them into the right place, then disaster is possible. So, it’s important that you take time and care through the interview process.
Over the years, there are a couple of important items that I think about when making a hiring decision:
1) Hire for Character first, Energy second and Competence third.
You may have heard this in different ways and possibly even in the reverse order. I have found that hiring for character first, energy level second and competency third is the best criteria to hire new team members. You can teach a smart, determined, energetic person anything. However, character traits such as honestly, trust, hard work, and empowerment are incredibly difficult to create in another person. It is best that your hires embody strong character traits first and have a strong, positive energy level second.
I am not saying that your hiring decisions should not be competent. In fact, I think the contrary, if you are hiring for your “A-team”, then each person should be extraordinarily competent. However, this should not be your first motivation.
2) Will this person be a good fit for this position?
As we have discussed in previous blogs, a person’s skills/abilities, personality/behaviors and passions/desires really do come together in a unique way to form who a person is and ultimately points them totheir distinct purpose in life. During the interview process, it is up to you and the interviewee to determine if this position, department and company is a good fit.
As I get more and more experience in the hiring process, I have learned to use a variety of assessment tools such as the Myers-Briggs, DISC profile, Strength Finder and others to help answer the questions about a person’s character, energy and competencies. I have listed many of these assessments tools that I have used in our Finding Purpose section of this website.
With all of these assessments, as well as the interview questions I ask, I am looking to feel confident that this person might be a good fit for the position they are interviewing.
At the end of the day, this is where the “art of leadership” comes in. It’s about using your discernment, based upon the interview questions, assessments and “gut feeling” to make the best hiring decision possible. In the end, if you have a good team, you will see pretty quickly whether the person is a good fit or not.
3) Will this person make your team better or worse?
This is great question to ask; does bringing this person onto your team make it better or worse? In order to answer this question, it is important to include your team members in the interview process.
During this time, have 1 or 2 of your “star” team members meet with the potential candidate. I suggest this take place at the second or last interview. Sit back and watch the interaction between the job candidate and your team members. Watch the interactions, the energy level, and the progression of conversation. You are looking to see if new ideas, positive conversations and chemistry forms with everyone.
This will not only insure you are potentially hiring a good candidate who will connect with your team, but also further encourages ownership from your current team with the new employee you are bringing on board.
4) Will this person be encouraged to develop at a personal and professional level by this position?
Part of putting people in the right place is also about seeing to their personal development and professional growth. As you hire, you will want to be sure that your interviewee has the potential to grow and develop in a positive way based on their experience in your department or company.
Remember, in order to thrive at work, people need two things (1) a sense of learning or growing and (2) a feeling of being energized and vital about what they are doing. We all need to make sure our hires can thrive at work and have valuable tasks which will usually lead to opportunities for personal growth and professional development.
During the interview process, I will usually ask questions like “What do you see yourself doing in 10 years from now.” The purpose of this question is to (1) learn where the person sees themselves, and to make sure there is purpose in job they are interviewing for and (2) learn their personal vision and ideas for their future. When people have purpose in their job, or a set of activities that hold consistent value, as well as positive ideas for their future, they tend to be happier and perform to higher levels.
It is all about creating a great team. Great leaders build great teams of people who share the organization’s vision, see value and benefit in the work they do, and possess the energy to carry it out.
Remember, you are the keeper of the culture. So, make the culture great with hiring and developing great people!
Have you ever had a stressful day at work? How about one of those extraordinarily frustrating days where it feels like every second there is someone or something coming to you with an urgent crisis? Fires are popping up everywhere around the office, and it would seem like the entire world is focused on giving you the urgent task, which if not solved, will result in the end of the human race. Well, at least, a very upset employee or customer.
On these days there is absolutely no hope in getting anything than you want accomplished. You are a slave to the urgent, not the important. These days are incredibly frustrating, draining and stressful to say the least. We have all been here. In fact, I had one of these days this past week.
When I experience days like this, I often think of Surfing.
With surfing, there are some days where you get knocked off each and every wave you try to ride. When you jump on your surf board, you immediately get knocked off. The harder you try, the harder you fall back into the water … it’s this over and over again throughout the entire day.
The only thing you can do on days like this is to just ride the wave. Meaning go with the flow and let the waves take you where they may. The harder you fight it, the more stressful and frustrating the day will become. Let the day pass, then come back tomorrow morning, with your surf board in hand, and hit the waves again!
Here are a couple of good things to remember when you are getting nailed by some intense waves:
1) Struggling with the waves builds your strength and surfing experience.
Fail often so you can succeed sooner. The best surfers in the world are not only great at riding waves, but also at wiping out. Remember, there is always something to learn and grow by having a stressful day at work. Difficult days periodically lead to times of reflection and self-thought after day is over. Ask yourself, what could I have done differently today? How else might I have better managed my time, or what pieces of good insight did I learn today?
2) You need a “leg rope” or a “safety net”.
Surf boards come with what’s called a “leg rope” or “leash” that attaches your ankle to the board. This way when you get knocked off your board it keeps the board from being swept away. Just the same, when you have your crazy, stressful days at work. Make sure you have a “leg rope” or what I call a “safety net”; this is a system to keep track of all your tasks in easy access for when your stressful day passes.
I personally keep lists of all of the items that I will need to follow up with once the urgent has passed. I use a combination of a task manager called Wunderlist and also Outlook e-mail. This way I don’t forget what I will need to complete the following day. This could also be as easy as sending yourself e-mails of tasks to complete. Regardless, you need a safety need to help you remember and to follow up later.
3) Take time to find an experienced surfer and debrief.
Often times beginning surfers will hang around other more experienced surfers to pick up the “art of surfing”. More experienced surfers add great value for the young surfer; they can help them to develop their form, show them the best spots to surf, where the best waves are hitting, and also the how the determine the best weather to head to the beach.
Just as in the work place, more experienced friends and mentors will provide encouragement to you on and after the stressful days. Remember, we are not meant to do life alone, this includes work, you need to find good people you can trust to share experiences with and learn from theirs.
4) If you keep getting knocked off your board every day, you may need to rethink your form and start taking surf lessons again.
If your daily routine becomes getting nailed by the waves every day, it may be time to trying something new at the office. Work should not feel like a continual assault day after day. If this describes the majority of your days at work, then you may need to rethink your planning or organization. As an idea, rethink how you plan you day. Do you write down goals? If not, start. Do you have a safety net? If no, try it out. Talk with others and observe more experienced surfers. From what you observe, experiment with new possibilities and more efficient ways to complete your work. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
5) Don’t let a few days of having rough waves discourage you.
Remember, nothing worth doing is easy. Part of surfing, or working in a meaningful job, is that it’s exciting to have a challenge and then growing to overcome it! You’re going to have good days and also stressful days, but don’t let that discourage you from going back out again the following day. Who knows, the most beautiful ocean and best waves could be waiting for you.
Why should we have a high priority to focus on goal setting for 2014?
Well, it’s all about setting your sight and hitting the target. Here are a couple of very important reasons why goal setting is valuable.
First, studies show that we are grossly more effective in our personal, professional and even spiritual lives when we have a target or goal that is set in front of us. High achievers are goal oriented. If you want to make the most of your year and really achieve great results, this is a simple truth, SET GOALS!
Second, we tend to get what we focus on. When we focus on timeless goals that make an impact in our development, we tend to see positive transformational growth for our personal, professional and or spiritual lives. Think of this as setting your sights on a target. If you do not set your sight on a good target, you will decrease the likelihood of hitting anything.
Each year, I spend a week or so before and after the new year to reflect on the previous year’s goals as well as what I need to focus my energy on in the future year. It is during this time where my mind is flooded with all sorts of items, tasks and desires for the future. It’s during this time that I spend consistent time in prayer bringing these ideas to God asking Him to outline for me how he would like me to grow this next year.
When setting your goals for this next year, here are a couple of important things to keep in mind:
1) Make SMART goals.
When I mean SMART goals, I mean the frequently used acronym for goals setting which are Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time Related (SMART). Make your goals with SMART in mind.
After I start thinking through my ideas for the next year, I make sure that all of my goals eventually fit these characteristics. Here are few examples of my 2014 goals for this year using the SMART guidelines:
- Become a basic conversationalist in Spanish by completing the level 1 and 2 courses by Rosetta Stone.
- Loose 30lbs and be in the best shape of my life.
- Develop and grow as a teacher of the bible by leading a Men’s bible Study for College Students and young men at DBU.
- Maintain my Website and Blog, actively post new knowledge and engaging content weekly.
- Develop as a Public Speaker; evaluate and commit to speaking at 6 different public speaking events this year.
2) Write down your goals.
By writing down your goals you engage yourself to really think about what is important to you during the next year. If you do not take the time to write out your goals, you will be less likely to achieve them.
Michael Hyatt shared on his blog this week about a conclusive research study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California. Her study on goal-setting with 267 participants found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.
3) Get accountability and regularly discuss your goals with others you trust.
After I develop my goals for the year, I share them with a group of close men whom I trust. One of them is my friend Sam, who recently shared with me the following reminder about goals setting and accountability:
“The ultimate outcome we want is to go through life together and get each other’s back so that we can successfully keep moving in the direction God is calling us to. So, spend some time just thinking and praying about this next year … Remember, Community is God’s answer to defeat. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Remember, you can try, but you can’t live life well on your own. We all need other people to walk with us, work with us, and watch out for us. Be sure you share you goals with someone you trust and ask for accountability in how you are working to achieve your goals throughout the year.
4) Do not get discouraged when you feel that you’re not meeting some of your goals.
This past year I personally missed achieving about half of my 2013 goals I set for myself. In fact, most high achievers frequently miss their goals, but think of how many goals they would have achieved if they did not set a yearly goal and put an action plan in place? Probably none. Goal setting for the year is key; but realize you may not achieve all that you set your sites on and do not get discouraged.
5) Do not be afraid to re-prioritize your goals throughout the year.
An exciting part of goals setting is that they can be changed. Frequently I will go through the year, stumble upon some additional information or be led by God in another direction. During these times some of my yearly goals will change.
Given that we desire to constantly learn more, our aim or goals will frequently change. Do not be afraid to tweak your goals, this is not admitting defeat, but rather applying additional knowledge that you received to improve your aim.
Remember, if you do not pick up the bow to set your sights on the target, you will miss the mark 100% of the time. If you wish to be a high achiever for 2014, be sure you take time to set your yearly goals.
God Bless in 2014!